17. Critical realism in Am literature. M.Twain

American Realism was a late 19th literary movement that began as a reaction against romanticism and the sentimental tradition. Chief among the authors writing in this genre were William Dean Howells, Henry James, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, and Stephen Crane. Am. R. was most commonly a feature of narrative fiction, and of poetry and drama as well. The writers of this period realized that they should deal with everyday realities. The characters of realistic novels were typical people of their time & place. American writers stressed the link between Man & society. All these writers in some way dealt with the notion of the so called American Dream. The most prominent writers of this period are:

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

The 1st period of his literary work (50 - 60s) was closely connected with & based on folklore - popular stories, fairy tales, legends & tall tales ("The CelebratedGumping Frog of Calabenes Country"). The 2^nd - A number of fantastic or imaginary tales were written at that time(The Adventures of Tom Sawyer","The Prince and the Pauper").The 3rd was marked by his satirical attitude towards reality. In his publicist works & his numerous short stories he exposed many vices of American life, political affairs & intrigues (The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg", "We are Americanizing Europe", "As I Run for the Government”). He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.

18. Naturalism in Am. Literature. S.Crane, j.London

A type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity on studying of human beings. Unlike realism, which focuses on literary technique, naturalism implies a philosophical position, taking place from the 1880s to 1940s. They believed that one's heredity and social environment largely determine one's character.

Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Stephen Crane's fiction is typically categorized as representative of Naturalism, American realism, Impressionism or a mixture of the three. Crane's work concerns ideals versus realities, spiritual crises and fear. Crane's first novel was the 1893 Bowery tale Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, which critics generally consider the first work of American literary Naturalism. His Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895) realistically depicts the psychological complexities of battlefield emotion and has become a literary classic. He was nearly forgotten, however, until two decades later when critics revived interest in his life and work Although recognized primarily for The Red Badge of Courage, which has become an American classic. Maggie: a girl of the streets.

John Griffith "Jack" London (born John Griffith Chaney) was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide fame. He is best remembered as the author of The Call of the Wild and White Fang. He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen", and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf. London was a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers and wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel. Typically London’s writings contained themes of: Jack London's life, Evolution, Brutality of society, Socialism, Adjustment of man against elemental ways of life.